Will lawmakers address school data collection concerns?

The 10 lawmakers spent much of the day on a deep dive into the complicated world of school data collection. Compared to any number of hot-button education issues — from computers in the classroom to teacher pay to charter education — this is an under-the-radar issue if ever there were one.

Committee members heard an earful — about the Idaho System for Educational Excellence, the state’s fledgling longitudinal data system, and about a companion system, Schoolnet, which is designed to allow teachers to access student information in real time, so they can tailor curriculum accordingly. The systems are cumbersome to use and fraught with data glitches, according to district officials.